I used the (very helpful) advice of another reviewer and watched the movie slowly, in increments. It is beautifully shot and lighted in black and white, and the characters are subtle and well constructed. The use of "balut" in the film I thought was powerful (I had to look it up, its bird- usually duck.- embryos cooked inside the shell, before hatching) There is a mix of kindness and quiet rage at work that I found fascinating, although I would have liked that the political context of life in the Philippines be laid out in another manner, with less obvious exposition, perhaps. There was enough time for this...
But the pace is excruciatingly slow, the situations repeat themselves (yes, I know, such as in life itself), I found the main plot point very predictable, and, in my opinion, there really is no reason for the length.
I would have preferred to have refrained from the use of the word "boring", and rate the movie higher, but its not possible, to be honest.
